# Idle Animal Evolution vs Grow Animals

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Grow Animals at 45K against Idle Animal Evolution's 5.1K. Idle Animal Evolution's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Idle Animal Evolution sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Grow Animals sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Idle Animal Evolution against 4.7 for Grow Animals. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Grow Animals has 45K ratings behind it against 5.1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 69% of Idle Animal Evolution's written reviews are positive against 62% of Grow Animals's.

Idle Animal Evolution ships an update fortnightly, Grow Animals every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Idle Animal Evolution | Grow Animals |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (5.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idle-animal-evolution/id1569081655/reviews) | **[4.7 (45K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grow-animals/id1577130124/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 5.1K | **45K** |
| Positive reviews | **68.9% of reviews** | 61.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 179 MB | 334 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [ZPLAY (HK) TECHNOLOGY CO., LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/1301067319) | [Lion Studios](https://appshunter.io/developer/1362220666) |

## What reviewers say

### Idle Animal Evolution

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idle-animal-evolution/id1569081655)

Combine different animals in a lab to breed unique new creatures. Explore dozens of animal combinations, from cats with bees to dogs with seahorses. Keep breeding to discover all possible evolutions.

**Highlights:** Combine animals in a lab, Breed new animal species, Discover dozens of animal combinations, Explore unique creature evolutions, Continuous breeding gameplay

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Starter Bundle | $2.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $5.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💛 Entertaining idle game
- 🤩 Amazing game
- ✨ Fun and fascinating

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitches and bugs
- 💢 Frustrating issues with collection room
- 📢 Too many ads
- 🤬 Crashes and freezes

**Reported bugs**

- Collection room button not working
- Overlay covering gameplay elements
- Losing progress/DNA earned when app crashes
- Inability to close certain popups

**Requested features**

- Add more animals and slots
- Improve randomization of animal combinations
- Provide an option to exit the collection room
- Fix the 'tap to open collection room' issue


### Grow Animals

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grow-animals/id1577130124)

Design and raise your dream pet by combining traits like cute, smart, strong, and lovable. Witness their evolution from a single cell to a fully grown creature, and even merge animals to discover new breeds. Decorate their habitat and care for them.

**Highlights:** Create dozens of unique animals, Experiment with trait combinations, Witness animal evolution, Decorate pet habitats, Pamper and play with pets, Merge animals to discover new breeds

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $2.99 | one-time |
| All In One Bundle | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🤩 Cute and fun animals
- 🤗 Relaxing and enjoyable gameplay
- 🤓 Educational animal facts
- 👍 Great for kids and adults

**What reviewers complain about**

- 😡 Too many ads and ad breaks
- 🤖 Lack of freedom to create own animals
- 🤯 Repetitive and limiting gameplay
- 🤔 Misleading advertising

**Reported bugs**

- Animals disappearing after merging
- Freezing and crashing issues
- Incorrect animal spawning
- Progress reset problems

**Requested features**

- Allow users to create their own unique animals
- Reduce the number of ads and ad breaks
- Add more content and gameplay variety
- Fix bugs and glitches


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Idle Animal Evolution free?

Idle Animal Evolution is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Grow Animals free?

Grow Animals is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Idle Animal Evolution or Grow Animals?

Grow Animals is rated higher. Idle Animal Evolution averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.1K ratings, while Grow Animals averages 4.7 from 45K ratings.

### Do Idle Animal Evolution or Grow Animals have ads?

Both Idle Animal Evolution and Grow Animals show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Idle Animal Evolution or Grow Animals?

Idle Animal Evolution ships an update fortnightly, and Grow Animals every 3 weeks. Most recently, Idle Animal Evolution was updated on November 3, 2026 and Grow Animals on November 6, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*